NTL cable

[hitz]

Does anyone have NTL cable box - and does not have the interactive functionality.
Ive had my set top box for over a year now - and im very annoyed that i still cannot get interactive services.
I keep getting fobbed off - that it will be available in my area soon.

Also - does anyone know if any of the NTL set top boxes have digital connections available.

[Berisford]

I've had my box for 18 months...............no interactive though.

In fact it's a bloody nightmare 'cause if I accidently touch any interactive button the whole thing freezes up and I have to do a re-boot, this happens at least 2 x a week. I'm working on a switched mains supply to the NTL box to make my life a little less complicated.

As for NTL customer services, they just don't care!

BJ Nottingham

[zoolap]

Originally posted by Berisford
............. In fact it's a bloody nightmare 'cause if I accidently touch any interactive button the whole thing freezes up and I have to do a re-boot, this happens at least 2 x a week...............

As for NTL customer services, they just don't care!

BJ Nottingham

I have the same problem and find it incredibly annoying. I wish there was a hard reset button (maybe even by holding in the power button) it would have been ok. I tried this when walking with beasts was on. I had to restart and then got the message that there was a problem, hence no NTL. When it's worked it's been rubbish anyway. All I want is to be able to look at the tv guide while being able to listen to the channel in the background (like with teletext). I hate sitting through the front row stuff when i look at the guide.

Use the browse button instead.

[rjcowan]

WARNING NTL USERS
----------------------------

DO NOT TOUCH THE RED BUTTON IT IS USELESS.

if you wait for a couple of hours you get a purple(nice colour choice - not) screen giving you options.
Think i fell asleep after this.

Please forgive me SKY all is forgiven

[terryb]

>>

I have the same problem and find it incredibly annoying. I wish there was a hard reset button (maybe even by holding in the power button) it would have been ok.

<<

The C&W version of the Nokia NTL box does have a warm reboot sequence that [eg. equivalent to CTRL, ALT, DEL] on the front of the box you hold the three buttons together:

OK, < [to the right of OK] and TV [top button of the group of four]

let go and the box will do a warm boot. This is a lot easier than crawling about pulling the 13amp socket out. This fixes most of the frozen box problems.

My experience with the interactive service is much better these days than it was one or two years ago. Being on the out skirts of London we got the interactive service fairly early on. As they rolled this out across the UK problems seemed to increase as they [NTL] seemed to have undersized the servers. That's the impression I had. For Xmas 2000 there was no email service for five or so days as I remember it. There use to be periods of withdrawn service - these periods are much less now. Can't remember when the last one was.

During 2001 the open internet service arrived [£5 per month]via the interactive menu [option 0], whilst this does not offer full internet [secure site support, touchy about some sites, eg. the FT - it's similar to Bush TV internet, doesn't work if the site expects to read your cookies - like this one] it does have it's uses if you like to browse in a couched position in front of the TV.

But on the general point as to whether NTL is a loving company of it's customers, the way it treated it's CWCOM internet customers last November was a little high handed. CWCOM customers spent nine months or so paying for free internet which was not available till November [I felt I was paying for it]. Then those that we lucky got it together with the premuim rate support number, whilst other customers had to sail off into the blue yonder with CWCOM being sold / passed to BlueBolt, different servers, unreliable service. NTL World [the free service to cable customers - if you live in the right area] does work and is fairly stable.

But all in all NTL is a cheaper service than Sky and ITV digital, you just pay for the channel groups that you want. You also have that return path that does not cost 1p per minute and you can get open internet as well. I don't feel that I am being fleesed as I did with Sky in the past.

[hornydragon]

Ntl are a joke but its on them, they can't install they can't run a good service, they used a pace box that is overly complicated they lack certain channels and they are not actually a company, ntl is the privitised broadcast arm of the BBC, they then bought some cable franchises when they collapsed or couldn't be sold. They actually run on a franchise service, you can buy your own ntl franchise and run it just as maccyd's work but a bit pricier, maybe, that is why they are so variable, in service and support. Sky is the premium TV supplier but expensive unless you want every channel nearly £40 a month ITV digi is odd and BT ADSL is very good but you pay for it ntl is a 2nd level service provider not premium eg BT not base level eg Alphatelecom ( cheap long distance calls) so you can't win and if the Astra sat goes down so do ntl but hey what you gonna do.

[Ian Cox]

Well I may be in the minority here but I am going to come to NTL's defence, and no I do not work for NTL I am just one of their happy customers (rare I know).

I live in the Brighton area, which was ex C&W. When NTL actually purchased the network of C&W NTL they did not realise how badly maintained the network was, it has taken them the best part of 3 years to get the network to the state it is now. I now have digital cable with full interactive services, telephone line and cable modem capability and I pay a lot less a month for these services than if I had SKY a BT line and the temperamental ADSL.

I know it is frustrating when a service does not work, which seems to be the case for a lot of NTL customers but you have to remember the situation that they are in, it costs a lot of money to upgrade these networks and takes time. To give you an idea, Eurobell, which is now part of Telewest, had to spend £7,000,000 to upgrade their network to support interactive services to just 180,000 homes. When you consider that interactive services are used by about 5% of customers this is a huge outlay for little return, NTL are having to do this around the entire country. It also does not help that they are £12b in debt.

For a lot of you, you do have a simple choice you could get rid of NTL and go for SKY or ITV Digital. Its not that NTL are the only digital provider in the country, you have a choice so if you are not happy with what NTL are providing go to someone else. If you do decided to stay with NTL then you are going to have to be patient upgrading these networks take a long time and a lot of money. Still moan to NTL as this keeps them on their toes but I do think NTL are trying their best to get there networks up to scratch as quickly as possible.

I now look forward to your replies!!!!!!!

Its the old horses for courses thing.

I am another happy NTL customer, phone Net and Digital. Admittedly their customer service leaves alot to be desired and their relevent departments do not seem to talk to each other (small issue when the next door flat to me didn't pay their bill and I got cut off!) but they do offer a good cheap service.

Nothing is perfect in life, your TV geometry will never be quite square, not all your LCD pixels will work and the Net will fall over from time to time. My only gripe is that if I can get Prologic out of the digital and Prologic out of the VCR how come when I record something off of NTL it only records in Mono?

[terryb]

>>
Ntl are a joke but its on them, they can't install they can't run a good service, they used a pace box that is overly complicated they lack certain channels and they are not actually a company, ntl is the privitised broadcast arm of the BBC, they then bought some cable franchises when they collapsed or couldn't be sold.
<<

Hang on, the IBA [the people that ran the ITV transmitters] became NTL, the BBC transmitter business was sold to somebody else [that funded the setting up of BBC digital]. NTL were bought out by American money and are quoted on the Dow Jones. NTL expanded and bought out C&W. It was thought that Telewest had the financial wobbles but as it turned out it was NTL. NTL and Telewest were to get into bed together but they have liaisons on joint working [tarriff structures ? etc]. NTL then stretched themselves with their purchases and as a result are seaking to sell off everying except NTL:Home eg. the ITV transmitter maintenance business, the indirect phone business ala the remnants of Mercury Communications [sold] .

As a previous C&W customer, NTL do not seem to look after their customers as well as C&W did. Saying that their products and prices are more superior in many respects to Sky / BT, ITV digital / BT. Having had Sky, On-Digital and NTL my choice is NTL for what I want. I can view NTL thinking of the savings that I am making. Well why waste money ?.

One also does not get that Sky ITV digital pixel problem as reported elsewhere linked to the sharing of one transponder for multiple channels that are all the same. When there is lightening ones screen does not freeze each time there is a flash as it does on ITV digital and ones mobile phones do not freeze up the picture as Sky. No problems with rainy days....

[pointon]

I agree with Ian. I'm an ex-C&W NTL customer in Stoke on Trent, and am quite happy (not ecstatic) with the service I have received.

Digital TV seems to have improved a great deal in recent months. Interactive works a treat now, although it's annoying when I accidentally press the red button on a channel with no interactive content - which is most channels unfortunately. I haven't needed to reboot the box (touch as much wood available to me at this moment) for months. Phone bill is cheaper than it ever was than with BT, especially now that I'm using NTL's broadband service.

It means I pay about £70 a month, which isn't cheap, but isn't hugely expensive either, for my digital Tv, phone and broadband internet services. I'm more than happy with that, being much cheaper than if everything was seperately supplied by BT and Sky or ITV Digital.

I've always been happy with customer services too.

I do wish there were more channels and more interactive content though.

Things are improving and I count myself as a loyal and overall satisfied NTL customer

[Ian Cox]

Wow, I did not realise that there were so many fairly satisfied NTL customers, I got the impression that everyone hated NTL.

IM VERY HAPPY!

I am also Ex Cable & Wireless now NTL ok they are not perfect but with broadband now operating in my area.I have no grumbles they can only get better.
D/D

[Darren_L]

I'm happy with NTL. They are a bit slow on the customer service line, but when you do get through they are OK. They sometimes have problems when you change your channel packs - they can be a bit slow to update the box.

The onscreen TV guide and non-interactive service is slooooow, but their broadband internet is very good.

No caller-display on the phone.

They are cheaper than a BT/ADSL/Sky combo.